“I hate being good,” he said aloud to himself, as he trailed after Mary Poppins and Jane and the perambulator on the afternoon walk to the Park.
“Don’t dawdle,” said Mary Poppins, looking back at him.
But he went on dawdling and dragging the sides of his shoes along the pavement in order to scratch the leather.
Suddenly Mary Poppins turned and faced him, one hand on the handle of the perambulator.
“You,” she began, “got out of bed the wrong side this morning.”
“I didn’t,” said Michael. “There is no wrong side to my bed.”
“Every bed has a right and a wrong side,” said Mary Poppins, primly.
“Not mine – it’s next the wall.”
“That makes no difference. It’s still a side,” scoffed Mary Poppins.
“Well, is the wrong side the left side or is the wrong side the right side? Because I got out on the right side, so how can it be wrong?”
“Both sides were the wrong side, this morning, Mr Smarty!”
“But it has only one, and if I got out the right side—” he argued.
“One more word from you—” began Mary Poppins, and she said it in such a peculiarly threatening voice that even Michael felt a little nervous. “One more word and I’ll—”
She did not say what she would do, but he quickened his pace.
“Pull yourself together, Michael,” said Jane in a whisper.
“You shut up,” he said, but so low that Mary Poppins could not hear.
“Now, sir,” said Mary Poppins. “Off you go – in front of me, please. I’m not going to have you stravaiging behind any longer. You’ll oblige me by going on ahead.” She pushed him in front of her. “And,” she continued, “there’s a shiny thing sparkling on the path just along there. I’ll thank you to go and pick it up and bring it to me. Somebody’s dropped their tiara, perhaps.”
Against his will, but because he didn’t dare not to, Michael looked in the direction in which she was pointing. Yes – there was something shining on the path. From that distance it looked very interesting, and its sparkling rays of light seemed to beckon him. He walked on, swaggering a little, going as slowly as he dared and pretending that he didn’t really want to see what it was.
He reached the spot and, stooping, picked up the shining thing. It was a small, round sort of box with a glass top and on the glass an arrow marked. Inside, a round disc that seemed to be covered with letters swung gently as he moved the box.
Jane ran up and looked at it over his shoulder.
“What is it, Michael?” she asked.
“I won’t tell you,” said Michael, though he didn’t know himself.
“Mary Poppins, what is it?” demanded Jane, as the perambulator drew up beside them. Mary Poppins took the little box from Michael’s hand.
“It’s mine,” he said jealously.
“No, mine,” said Mary Poppins. “I saw it first.”
“But I picked it up.” He tried to snatch it from her hand, but she gave him such a look that his hand fell to his side.
She tilted the round thing backwards and forwards, and in the sunlight the disc and its letters went careering madly inside the box.
“What’s it for?” asked Jane.
“To go round the world with,” said Mary Poppins.
“Pooh!” said Michael. “you go round the world in a ship, or an aeroplane. I know that. The box thing wouldn’t take you round the world.”
“Oh, indeed – wouldn’t it?” said Mary Poppins, with a curious I-know-better-than-you expression on her face. “You just watch!”
And holding the compass in her hand she turned towards the entrance of the Park and said the word “North!”
The letters slid round the arrow, dancing giddily. Suddenly the atmosphere seemed to grow bitterly cold, and the wind became so icy that Jane and Michael shut their eyes against it. When they opened them the Park had entirely disappeared – not a tree nor a green-painted seat nor an asphalt footpath was in sight. Instead, they were surrounded by great boulders of blue ice and beneath their feet snow lay thickly frosted upon the ground.
“Oh, oh!” cried Jane, shivering with cold and surprise, and she rushed to cover the Twins with their perambulator rug. “What has happened to us?”
Mary Poppins sniffed. She had no time to reply, however, for at that moment a white furry head peered cautiously round a boulder. Then a huge Polar Bear leapt out and, standing on his hind legs, proceeded to hug Mary Poppins.
“I was afraid you might be trappers,” he said. “Welcome to the North Pole, all of you.”
He put out a long pink tongue, rough and warm as a bath towel, and gently licked the children’s cheeks.
They trembled. Did Polar Bears eat children, they wondered?
“You’re shivering!” the Bear said kindly. “That’s because you need something to eat. Make yourselves comfortable on this iceberg.” He waved a paw at a block of ice. “Now, what would you like? Cod? Shrimps? Just something to keep the wolf from the door.”
“I’m afraid we can’t stay,” Mary Poppins broke in. “We’re on our way round the world.”
“Well, do let me get you a little snack. It won’t take me a jiffy.”
He sprang into the blue-green water and came up with a herring. “I wish you could have stayed for a chat.” He tucked the fish into Mary Poppins’s hand. “I long for a bit of gossip.”
“Another time perhaps,” she said. “And thank you for the fish.”
“South!” she said to the compass.
It seemed to Jane and Michael then that the world was spinning round them. As they felt the air getting soft and warm, they found themselves in a leafy jungle from which came a noisy sound of squawking.
“Welcome!” shrieked a large Hyacinth Macaw who was perched on a branch, with outstretched wings. “You’re just the person we need, Mary Poppins. My wife’s off gadding, and I’m left to sit on the eggs. Do take a turn, there’s a good girl. I need a little rest.”
He lifted a spread wing cautiously, disclosing a nest with two white eggs.
“Alas, this is just a passing visit. We’re on our way round the world.”
“Gracious, what a journey! Well, stay for a little moment so that I can get some sleep. If you can look after all those creatures” – he nodded at the children – “you can keep two small eggs warm. Do, Mary Poppins! And I’ll get you some bananas instead of that wriggling fish.”
“It was a present,” said Mary Poppins.
“Well, well, keep it if you must. But what madness to go gallivanting round the world when you could stay and bring up our nestlings. Why should we spend our time sitting when you could do it as well?”
“Better, you mean!” sniffed Mary Poppins.
Then, to Jane and Michael’s disappointment – they would dearly have liked some tropical fruit – she shook her head decisively and said, “East!”
Again the world went spinning round them – or were they spinning round the world? And then, whichever it was ceased.
They found themselves in a grassy clearing surrounded by bamboo trees. Green paperlike leaves rustled in the breeze. And above that quiet swishing they could hear a steady rhythmic sound – a snore, or was it a purr?